Any time a home computer is exposed to security risks especially when it is connected to the internet. Safe browsing practices should be strictly implemented to help protect all the information stored in your computer from viruses and being exposed to others. To avoid becoming victims of predators and exposure to inappropriate material, children should also practice safe browsing. Below are 7 tips to ensure you safe internet browsing.
Adjust Web Browser Settings. You can set your browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari which has different levels of filtering and blocking, to identify risky or adult-only Web sites and filter those sites. Pop-up ads can be dangerous because some ads are
pornographic or can lead to other risky Web sites.
Supervise Children. Supervising your children when they are surfing the internet is very important. Children are more likely to give out personal information and click on risky or inappropriate sites while doing research for school. Supervising your children is a good way to teach them about what kind of websites are safe or not.
Use a Firewall. Firewall blocks digital intruders from accessing personal information. Firewalls are either hardware-based or software-based that can provide protection to your computer.
Run Anti-Virus Software on a Regular Basis. Anti-virus software scans the computer for viruses that may have intruded while browsing the Internet. Most Internet Service Providers provide anti-virus software free, like McAfee VirusScan. The scanner can be set to operate
automatically so the user is not required to activate it.
Back Up Hard Drive on a Regular Basis. Internet users should back up critical information regularly. Any important files should be saved in a disk or flash drive. If a virus infects the computer, it can wipe out or corrupt important hard drive files.
Delete Unknown E-mails and Attachments. When checking e-mail, you should delete any items from unknown senders that has unknown attachments. Most e-mail providers offer filter options to automatically block unknown senders.
Expose Limited Information. Try to avoid giving out personal information like addresses, banking information or Social Security numbers. When making purchases, use a single credit card designated for Internet purchases only. If that card number is stolen, the can easily
be cancelled.